Today Has Been Cancelled
by Deejaye
Summary: A girl stumbles into a conspiracy and is taken to the spirit realm


_Today has been cancelled. Go back to bed._

The message appeared when Josy turned on the computer to check her school e-mail. She tried turning it on and off. When she tried to access Facebook on her phone, the same message popped up. All the tablets in her home had the same bright, yellow letters.

She was able to make a quick call to her sister, who demanded to know if this was some sort of joke. Josy said it wasn't. She was worried about going outside and...

Marcy snickered into the phone and told her it was a prank. Obviously something their brother (the computer guru) did to fuck with them. Marcy seemed certain that there was nothing wrong with leaving the house.

"I have to go get Jason, can you please calm down. I am going outside so..." Dead air. Marcy didn't hang up, but she didn't cut out either. It was like she just didn't exist. No static and Josy's phone still said, MARCY MCDONALD.

Josy hung up and tried to call again. This time a recorded voice whispered into her ear, "Today has been cancelled. Go back to bed. Today has been cancelled. _GO. BACK. TO. BED._

Josy dropped the phone and the glass shattered. The voice got louder and louder until Josy dropped it into the sink and hunched down on the ground, crying.

Josy walked around her house, making sure all the windows were closed. She didn't let the dog out to use the bathroom, fearing that he might disappear to. Or whatever was fucking with her might come in.

He peed on the carpet and barked. Until Josy said, "Go back to bed." He seemed to understand because he went to his kennel, laid down, and went to sleep. Josy tried to do the same. She fell asleep around 11am and slept through the whole day, waking up at 7am the next morning.

When Josy got up, the computer turned on like normal. There were several messages on her phone from Tyler, Marcy's husband.

_have you seen marcy_

_she didn't call into work this morning. her boss is upset. do you know where she is? I am worried. I woke up today and she was gone._

_josy, where is marcy?_

_call me. i'm worried._

Josy looked down at the messages. March 15th, 2014.

She called Tyler. "Hey, I don't know where she is. I have a question though..."

Tyler seemed annoyed. "What is it?"

"What day is it?" Josy asked.

"March 15th." Tyler sounded more annoyed than ever.

"Did you get the messages?" Josy asked.

"From Marcy?" Tyler demanded.

"No, about... Yesterday, or today, all these messages appeared on my screens, telling me "today is cancelled, go back to bed.' I wondered if you got them?"

"This is not the time for a prank," Tyler said. "I know you don't like Marcy, but really. Where is she? What sort of joke is this?"

Josy could not answer. She hung up and refused to answer his calls.

It was not until about 1pm that Josy remembered what was bothering her.

She looked down at her phone, not a crack on the screen. There was no pee on the carpet. The clothes she put on yesterday still hung in her closet.

* * *

Josy called Tyler later in the afternoon. He picked up with a sigh. "Who is this?"

"Is this the MacDonald residence?" Josy asked. Sometimes she messed up the numbers.

"Yes." Tyler sounded annoyed. "Who is this?"

"Josy."

"I don't know a Josy."

"This isn't funny, Tyler. Is Marcy there?" Josy demanded. She was sick of this shit and needed to talk to Marcy, if she was there. God, she hoped Marcy was there.

"Marcy...? Marcy who? The only Marcy I know is a cat."

Tyler hung up. Josy wanted to call him again and yell at him. She hadn't been making a joke, and he had no right to hide Marcy from her.

Flipping through her phone, Marcy's cell number was not there. Josy ended up calling her mother.

"Mom, I'm worried about Marcy."

"Josy, dear, who is Marcy."

"This isn't funny, mom. Tyler has been acting the same way."

"Who is Tyler? Are these your friends?"

Josy hung up the phone. This was a dumb prank. She had been stupid to even believe them. This was too far. She was sick of their jokes.

Josy went into her bedroom and sat down at her computer. She turned it on. Her background was different. Instead of her family at the beach, it was a mountain scene. Three people stood with their backs to a brilliant sunset, Josy, her mother, and her father.

Something dark welled inside Josy. She checked her folders. Everything was different. Marcy was in none of them. Tyler, Jason... everyone was gone. All that remained was Josy, her parents, and various cousins.

Going online, Josy typed in, "Stay in bed message."

Nothing.

* * *

There was a knock on the door at around 4pm. Two men in suits welcome themselves inside.

"Are you Josselyn Handle?"

Josy nodded.

"I am Officer Kirk and this is Officer Langley. We are here to talk to you about your recent internet search."

Officer Kirk was towering, nearly 6'8 and build like a truck. He had small eyes, only made smaller by the massive size of his neck. Josy felt almost dwarfed.

Langley, on the other hand, was a few inches taller than Josy. He had a young face, shaggy hair, and his suit hung off him like curtains. He didn't smile. He didn't look at her. He watched her floor, refusing to make her human.

"You were awake?" Kirk asked.

"Yes. It appeared on all of my screens."

"Interesting..." Langley said. He turned around and walked out of the house. Josy swallowed heavily.

"Are you going to...?" Josy asked. She backed away, stopping only when her legs hit the back of her couch.

Kirk shook his head. "I am just surprised you obeyed the orders." He smiled now, his teeth yellowed. Coffee stained. He grimaced. "You see, Josselyn, population control has always been a bit of a hairy situation. So we reset the universe."

Josy blinked. "Reset the universe?"

"7 billion people, all the pollution... it just didn't work well for our planet. So we reset it. Pushed the red button. Made everything new." He smiled again, this time it seemed forced. "Not that anyone will believe you, but you have somehow retained critical information about... well _us_."

Josy shook her head. "Who the fuck would believe me?"

"Someone might."

"Let me guess, I am a risk you are not willing to take."

"Exactly."

"Where did the people go? Why did you erase Marcy... and not me?" Josy asked. The questions were spilling out. "Did you erase her... or did you kill her?" Josy felt the tears streak down her face.

Kirk looked almost pitiful, standing in her little apartment, watching a woman cry.

"7 billion people are too many. We didn't kill anyone, we consolidated. Down to 20 million people. And it will be staying that way." Kirk gave her a pat on the head.

Josy fell to the ground in a dead faint.


End file.
